The Nasarawa State House of Assembly, on Tuesday, advised ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in the state to adhere strictly to budgetary provisions in the interest of accountability and good governance.
The Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Alhaji Aliyu Dogara, gave the advice in Lafia, when he led members of the committee on an oversight visit to the state Ministry of Finance.
Dogara (APC-Wamba), who stated that the visit was to assess the 2020 budget performance of the ministry, urged the MDAs to always ensure probity in their spending.
He said that adhering strictly to budgetary provisions would not only ensure transparency and accountability but would also give room for peace and development in the state.
According to him, any money spent is supposed to be approved by the Assembly.
“We are here to assess your budget performance because we approved it. We felt we should know how far you have gone in its implementation, more so that the governor is preparing to present the 2021 budget soon,” he said.
Dogara also urged the staff members of the ministry to be good ambassadors of their respective offices and offer necessary advice to heads of MDAs, especially as it concerned spending without approval.
“You are urged to spend within budgetary provisions and avoid over spending. For you to spend any money, you must seek for the approval of the House,” he said.
He appreciated the ministry for being up and doing in improving the revenue base of the state and called for its sustenance.
Earlier, the state Commissioner for Finance, Mr Haruna Adamu-Ogbole, thanked the lawmakers for the cooperation and support for the ministry.
Although the commissioner said that the ministry had improved on revenue generation in the state, he, however, assured that more improvements would be made in that regard.
He also assured that the ministry would continue to adhere strictly to budgetary provisions, in the interest of development. (NAN)
